The Department of State Development's scientific integrity questioned over James Price Point gas precinct

Scientists are questioning the conclusions of the Department's Strategic Assessment Report for the planned gas processing precinct at James Price Point. But the Department defends the report saying that it is a result of a scientifically rigorous process.

Four scientists from Murdoch University's Cetacean Research Unit made a public submission on the Department of State Development's Browse LNG Precinct Strategic Assessment Report on impacts a planned gas processing precinct would have on the marine environment.

In a detailed submission, the scientists conclude "...we have very little confidence in the scientific integrity of the report and this is evidenced by the unfounded conclusions reached within." Lead author of the submission, Dr Amanda Hodgson, says their main concern is that "...the impact of this development on dolphins has not been adequately addressed at all."

Coastal tropical dolphins such as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, the spinner dolphin and the Australian snubfin dolphin have been identified near James Price Point. Dr Hodgson says they are regarded as potentially vulnerable to extinction because of their small home ranges and apparently small populations. But like much of Australia's North Western environment, their precise conservation status is clouded by a lack of information.

Dolphins were surveyed as part of the whale and dugong surveys, but Dr Hodgson says the nature of these surveys often didn't allow the identification of what species of dolphin were observed.

"You can't determine what sort of impacts happen on dolphins if you don't know what species are there" she said.

Deputy Director of the Department of State Development, Gail McGowan, says that the submission made by Dr Amanda Hodgson and her colleagues is just one of 11,000 submissions made in the public comment period, and one of many from people with expertise in the field or from research institutions. Ms McGowan defends the Department's report, saying that it was conducted by scientists with expertise in the area, and having submissions made with counter views is "...an accepted part of what we have as a very good environmental assessment process in this state."

ABC Kimberley also contacted Dr David Morgan who is a Senior Research Scientist, also with Murdoch University, and an expert on the three species of sawfish which have been found near James Price Point and which are listed as threatened species under the Federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act. He says the migratory path of one of the species of sawfish, the freshwater sawfish, is likely to be somewhat impacted on.

"It is a serious concern, particularly if it prohibits the movement of mature female freshwater sawfish from moving along the coast and into the King Sound...to release their pups."

Dr Morgan's comments about the risk to the threatened species are in stark contrast to the conclusions made by the Department of State Development in their Strategic Assessment Report. In relation to the potential impacts on fish associated with the loss of connectivity between habitats caused by the LNG port facility required for the gas precinct at James Price Point, the Department's report says "There is no predicted impact to relevant EPBC listed species..."

These are just the latest criticisms of the Strategic Assessment Report which was compiled by the Department of State Development, Woodside and external consultants. The report also states that bilbies have not been found recently near James Price Point. But Melbourne University marine ecology PhD student, Malcolm Lindsay, claims that he has found and photographed bilbies breeding near James Price Point. He has provided information to the Federal Environment Department and called on the Federal Environment Minister to suspend land clearing permits until it can be shown that the endangered marsupial is not at risk.

The Strategic Report's assessment of dinosaur footprints near James Price Point has also been criticised. The preliminary report on palaeontology concluded that dinosaur footprints would be destroyed by the construction of the gas precinct but that they were "...not of museum grade quality." But Dr Steve Salisbury from the University of Queensland says that the footprints in the James Price Point area are part of "...one of the most spectacular dinosaur coastlines in the world." He went on to say that destruction of any part of this would be a "tragedy".

The Department of State Development responded to issues raised in the public comment period of the Strategic Assessment and to a request for more information from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) by instigating a new study of the footprints by independent scientists that would be peer reviewed.

Ms McGowan says that the Department of State Development went through every submission made in relation to the Strategic Assessment Report and identified about a thousand specific issues that related to environmental and social factors. Draft responses have been prepared and passed on to the EPA. She says "It's really up to the EPA and the Commonwealth regulator to make their judgement on balance of what the various views are."

The risk to the development of the James Price Point gas processing precinct could be if the EPA or the Commonwealth regulator agree with scientists like Dr Hodgson and Dr Morgan, and more monitoring is needed to assess and manage any potential environmental impacts. Dr Hodgson says that this would take at least two years of dolphin monitoring. But with Woodside due to make an investment decision in around six months in what is reportedly the time-critical economic climate of LNG processing, two years could be fatal to the entire project.

But Ms McGowan rejects the suggestion that the scientific integrity of the Strategic Assessment report puts the gas precinct at risk.

"It's been a rigorous process...I would expect that there would be a multitude of continuing studies and monitoring...and that will go on during the life of the project."

The EPA is expected to make a decision about the environmental acceptability of the gas processing precinct planned for James Price Point in late January 2012.